I have been mourning the loss of my classic ipod for several months now. I was in denial for a while and even went to the extreme lengths of watching and performing youtube 'surgery' to try and fix it. But alas, it had flatlined!! So a few weeks ago I bought an ipod touch to use in dance and movement classes. I have been excited about the potential use of apps in class, and today I finally got the opportunity to use one very successfully in class.
Today's creative dance class explored the movement element of force: light / strong; slow / fast. I used an instrument app that allows me to play the drums, maracas, triangle and several other instruments. Students explored tempo, volume and timbre through movement. With the help of the drum, we contrasted moving slowly and lightly with moving fast and strong. Next, the triangle's lengthened sound helped students explore stepping to the beat while moving the arms in the slow, continuous manner. Finally, the shaking of the maracas made us want to shake different parts of our bodies; small and light at first, moving from fingers to hands, arms to shoulders, until finally we are shaking our whole bodies.
It was wonderful to watch how, through guided discovery, they were able to interpret sound through movement. I am very excited about the potential learning and excitement that apps will bring to my movement and dance classes. Do you have any favorite ways of using apps in class?
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